Everything Happens for a Reason
by LOST Bob The Builder
Summary: Joseph and all of the other passengers from Flight 815 crash onto a mysterious island. It is a desperate fight for survival for all of those who have managed to come out of the crash alive. Please R&R this FanFic!
1. The Beginning

**Chapter 1: The Beginning**

FLASHBACK

_Joseph, a 3rd grader at P. J. Ford Elementary School, is walking across the blacktop with his best friends Katie and Marvin on a sunny and pleasant school day. It is recess, and the three children are traveling to the playground in an attempt to join the "big kids" in 4th and 5th grade in a game of "Gravel". _

_  
When they reach the playground, Joseph asks a 5th grader, "Hey, can me and my friends play with you guys?"_

_  
The obese child responds, "NO WAY! This is OUR playground! BEAT IT!"_

_  
Katie chimes in, "No, it's not! The playground belongs to EVERYONE!"_

_  
The 5th grader replies, "You're just a GIRL! I don't CARE what YOU say!"_

_  
Katie kicks the 5th grader in the shin extremely hard. _

_  
"OOOOOOOOW!" the obese child cries out._

The 5th grader starts to weep and shake nervously.

"Come on! Are you gonna just sit there and take that from a GIRL, Hurley!?" exclaims another 5th grader.

_  
"Yeah, teach her a lesson, Hurley!!" shouts a 4th grader._

_  
Hurley, the obese child, approaches Katie with his fist at the ready, but Katie is prepared to simply kick him in the shin once again. Before Hurley is able to punch Katie with all of his strength, Katie manages to kick him in the shin again. This time, he isn't affected by the kick as much as he had been the first time. He is able to hold his fist in the same position very steadily, and punches Katie in the arm. Katie simply winces and then kicks him in his other shin, this time with more force than both of her original kicks. The two continue to fight until Marvin moves in between them. _

_  
"STOP IT, YOU GUYS! JUST STOP IT!!!" Marvin screams._

_  
This action greatly surprises Katie, Joseph, and all of the 4th and 5th graders, including Hurley. Everyone stares at Marvin...  
_  
END OF FLASHBACK

Joseph wakes up to the sounds of screams, shouting, and utter chaos. His eyes dart about in all directions, scanning his surroundings. To his right is... Water? And to his left... Sand? Where was he? He slowly lifts his torso from the ground and sees a beach with a humungous jungle on it. He sees the ocean, the sky, and some passing clouds. But the strangest thing that he sees is... A destroyed plane!? Wait... It was all coming back to him. He had been on a flight, flight 815. He was traveling from Sydney, Australia to... Wait, where was it... Oh, yeah! Los Angeles! The flight was going very well. He had just ordered some food when it had all started. First, there was just a bit of turbulence. Then, that "bit" of turbulence turned into a fairly large amount of turbulence, and that large amount of turbulence became even larger and larger until the tail section of the plane had broken off completely. And then, the front section of the plane, where Joseph had been, began to plummet down to the ground, further and further down, until he had finally blacked out.

And now he was on an island... And the remains of the plane were scattered all around him. This was just the beginning of what would be a desperate fight for survival for Joseph and all of the other passengers who'd survived.

**End Of Chapter 1**


	2. An Unpleasant Reunion

**Chapter 2: An Unpleasant Reunion**

As Joseph struggles to stand, he notices a man in a torn suit running around and directing other people who have come out of the wreck without any fatal injuries. The man is attempting to aid several people at one time, his tie flailing about, his expression very serious. Joseph sees an Asian couple looking scared and confused, a pregnant woman struggling to walk around, a blond girl screaming frantically, and a bald man who somehow appears to be... Happy?

Joseph turns his head to face in another direction and he suddenly notices... HURLEY!?!  
Wait a second, it COULDN'T be him... COULD it? He recalls the dream that he had while he was unconscious that involved a recollection of that day on the playground when Katie and Hurley were fighting with each other. Could it possibly be that horrible bully? That hideous jerk? The resemblance was uncanny...

**_FLASHBACK_**

_After the fight between Katie and Hurley occurrs and the school day ends, Joseph, Katie, and Marvin walk home together._

_  
"Marvin... Thanks." says Katie._

_  
"Uh, you're welcome..." says Marvin awkwardly._

_  
There is a period of silence._

_  
"So, were you guys confused during math class? 'Cause I sure was!" says Joseph, trying to change the subject. _

_  
"Yeah." says Marvin. "I didn't get that last part of the lesson. Did you, Kat-"_

_  
Before Marvin can finish, Hurley jumps in front of the three, blocking their way._

_  
"Move it, fatty!" shouts Katie._

_  
"SHUT UP!" Hurley shouts back._

_  
"What do you want, Hurley?" questions Joseph._

_  
"I just want Marvin to answer a question that I have." says Hurley, mysteriously._

_  
"And that would be...?" asks Katie._

_  
"Hey, Marvin! Look at me, you PUNY little THIRD grader!"_

_  
Marvin looks up at Hurley._

_  
"Okay," says Hurley, "Why'd you stop me from hitting Katie again? Do you LIKE her or something? Is she your GIRLFRIEND?!"_

_  
Marvin stares blankly at Hurley._

_  
"Leave him alone, Hurley!" shouts Joseph._

_  
"NO! I'm not leavin' him alone until he answers my question!!!"_

_  
Marvin remains silent. _

_  
"You'd better quit it, Hurley!" exclaims Joseph._

_  
"NO!" shouts Hurley. "ANSWER THE QUESTION OR I'LL MAKE YOU PAY, MARVIN!!!"_

_  
Katie kicks Hurley, this time in a CERTAIN place that REALLY hurts._

_  
"AHHHHHH!" shouts Hurley in pain._

_  
The three run away from Hurley, leaving him to suffer..._

**_END OF FLASHBACK_**

Joseph begins to walk toward the wreckage in order to find a way that he can help. He has a few bumps and scratches, but nothing that can hold him back from functioning normally.

The man in the tattered shirt runs toward Joseph, points to him, and shouts, "You! Go and help that pregnant woman over there! Get her away from the wreckage!!!"

The man also points to Hurley, who's standing nearby, and says, "You! Help him get that lady out of there!"

Hurley and Joseph stare at each other in disbelief for a moment.

"What are you waiting for!?" exclaims the man with the torn shirt. "GO!"

Hurley and Joseph run over to the pregnant woman, lift her up, and carry her to a spot on the beach that is a decent distance away from the wreckage.

"I-Is that you, Hurley?" asks Joseph.

"Yeah..." Hurley replies.

**End Of Chapter 2**


	3. Kate Or Katie?

**Chapter 3: Kate... Or Katie?**

**_FLASHBACK_**

_Joseph, Katie, and Marvin are currently in middle school. The three are in the eighth grade. _

_The bell for the first class of the day has just rung and teaching has begun._

_"Okay, class." says Mrs. Keller. "I'm going to start off by taking attendance... Bobby?"_

_"Here." says Bobby._

_"Katie?"_

_"Here." says Katie._

_But before Mrs. Keller could call out another name, a sound that resembles that of a gunshot echoes through the building, followed by the sound of a shattering window. The class hears a few faint screams of terror in the distance, and everyone in the room starts to panic. The teacher turns off the lights, locks the door, shuts the blinds, and tells the class to hide under the desks at the back of the room._

_"You guys!" Joseph whispers to Katie and Bobby. "Are you okay?"_

_"N-no." Marvin whispers back, his voice trembling._

_"And you, Katie?" Joseph asks._

_Katie doesn't respond._

_"Katie!" Joseph whispers, but Katie still doesn't respond. Mrs. Keller whispers to everyone to not talk under ANY circumstances._

_Then, who the class assumes is the man who had fired the bullet, bangs on the classroom door extremely loudly. Tears begin to stream down the students' faces. _

_The man says in a heavy southern accent, "I know you're in there!"_

_Suddenly, another bullet is fired and all of the students hear a yelp of pain. The entire class remains dead silent. The man continues to taunt the class by repeatedly saying things like, "Come out, come out, wherever you are!" and "You're gonna have to come outta there sometime!"_

_What seems like a few hours passes by and the man doesn't make any kind of movement or sound outside of the classroom._

_Marvin mumbles extremely quietly, "I'm scared."_

_In response, Katie whispers, "It's okay, Marvin. We're all going to be fine. You don't have to be scared. It's okay."  
_  
**_END OF FLASHBACK_**

Hurley and Joseph are both staring at the ground in stunned silence.

"Uh... Hi." Joseph says to Hurley.

"Hello..." Hurley replies.

The pregnant woman is eyeing the two suspiciously.

"Do you two know each other?" asks the woman in an australian accent.

"Yeah... We went to school together..." says Joseph.

"Oh." she replies. "So, what are your names?"

"I'm Joseph." says Joseph.

"And I'm Hurley..." says Hurley, timidly.

"And you?" Joseph asks the woman.

"Oh, I'm Claire." replies the pregnant woman.

"That's a nice name." says Joseph, smiling politely.

Hurley remains silent.

Joseph turns around to see if there is anything else that he can assist the distressed passengers with. Then, he spots a woman with dark black hair and flushed cheeks. Amidst all of the chaos, she doesn't cry, she doesn't scream, and she doesn't look nervous. She has a straight face and is simply staring at everything that's unfolding in front of her. This brave woman reminds Joseph of someone, and that someone is his childhood friend, Katie.  
Could it be her?

**End Of Chapter 3**


	4. Stitches

**Chapter 4: Stitches**

Joseph notices that the man in the torn shirt has stopped running around frantically... He is nowhere to be seen! Joseph also sees the woman with the dark black hair turn around and head into the jungle. This arouses Joseph's curiosity.

"Hey, Hurley... Can you take care of Claire for a sec? I'll be right back." says Joseph.

"Uh..." replies Hurley.

"Thanks!" Joseph says.

Joseph walks toward the jungle, moves a few stray branches out of his way, and attempts to find the woman with the black hair. He searches for a bit of time, turns around, and bumps into someone...

"Oh, I'm sorry!" the woman with the black hair says.

"Don't worry about it." Joseph replies.

"Um... what's your name?" Joseph asks the woman.

"Kate." the woman replies.

"I'm Joseph. So, what are you looking for in here?" Joseph asks Kate.

"I dunno... I'm just kind of looking around..." Kate replies.

"Yeah, me too." says Joseph. "You know, you remind me of someone..."

"Really? Who?" Kate asks.

"This girl that was a good friend of mine during grade school..." Joseph answers.

"Oh." Kate replies.

Kate moves a branch out of her path to reveal a man sitting on a rock on the beach, his shirt off, his eyes scanning a large gash that the impact of the crash has made on his side. After looking at the man for a second, Joseph realizes that it's the man who had the torn shirt.

The man turns around to see Joseph and Kate staring at him.

"Can you give me a hand here?" asks the man with the gash.

"Of course." the two say, almost simultaneously.

"I need one of you to sew up this gash." says the man with the cut.

Joseph stares at the man reluctantly, but Kate quietly says, "I'll do it..."

_**FLASHBACK**_

_Joseph is in the 5th grade. He is riding his bike home from school with his two friends, Katie and Marvin, when he attempts to make his bike "jump" from the ground. Unfortunately, his attempt is unsuccessful and causes him to fall to the ground. He is knocked unconscious by the impact of the fall. _

_Katie and Marvin carry Joseph all the way to his home, tell his parents what had happened, and Joseph's mother calls 9-1-1._

_"What's your emergency?" asks the operator._

_"My son has fallen off of his bike and has been knocked unconscious!" Joseph's mother screams into the telephone._

_The operator asks Joseph's mother for some personal information, such as her address._

_"Don't panic, ma'am. An ambulance will be arriving at your house shortly." says the operator._

_"Okay. Thank you so much!" Joseph's mother says._

_Joseph's mother hangs up the phone._

_Shortly after this call is made, the four hear the faint sound of sirens in the distance. In a few more minutes, an ambulance enters their neighborhood and parks within their driveway._

_The four quickly carry Joseph to the ambulance, where he is loaded in by the Emergency Response Team. Then, the four jump into the ambulance and the ambulance travels to the closest hospital.__  
_

_When Joseph is permitted to leave the hospital after his operation, he is driven back to his home by his parents. Joseph is greeted by the cheers and applause of all of the people who live in his neighborhood. Marvin and Katie race from Joseph's front porch to hug Joseph, tears in their eyes. _

_Joseph has several stitches on his arm and forehead, but his friends don't care. They're just glad that he's back!  
_  
_**END OF FLASHBACK**_

**End Of Chapter 4**


	5. Are You Afraid Of The Dark?

**Chapter 5: Are You Afraid Of The Dark?**

Several hours have passed, night has fallen, the screams have ended, fires have been lit, and passengers have been mourned, but the chaos is just beginning...

Joseph, Kate, Claire, Hurley, and the man with the torn shirt, whose name Joseph has discovered is Jack, are all sitting on the sand around a large fire. All of the surviving passengers have been able to establish a peaceful atmosphere.

"What a mess..." Claire says.

"Yeah... And it's all my fault..." says Hurley.

"What do you mean, Hurley?" Jack asks.

Hurley remains silent, staring at the fire.

"It's no one's fault, Hurley." Kate says. "It's just something that happened."

Still, Hurley says nothing.

"Well, what must've triggered the crash was-" Jack starts, but before he can finish, an ear-splitting sound pierces through the jungle. The sound resembles that of some sort of machine walking around, causing a humungous banging noise every time it puts down one of its mechanical feet.

"Oh, my gosh!" Claire exclaims.

As the noise continues, getting louder and louder each time, an eruption of shouts and cries of fear break out among the passengers. After a few minutes, the noise finally stopps.

"Dude..." Hurley says. "What the heck was that?"

**_FLASHBACK_**

_It is Halloween night. Joseph is in the 6th grade. Katie, Marvin, and Joseph have been told by Hurley that they're babies and aren't brave enough to go into the neighborhood's abandoned house. The house is considered by all of the children in the neighborhood to be the "House Of Horrors". Katie has placed a bet with Hurley stating that if she, Joseph, and Marvin stay within the "House Of Horrors" for at least five minutes, Hurley will pay each of them five dollars, but if they don't, then Katie will pay Hurley fifteen dollars. Hurley agrees to the bet, and the four have just arrived in front of the house._

_"I'm gonna start the timer right when ya close the door." says Hurley. "Well, if you even MAKE it to the door without wetting your pants! HAHA!"_

_"You're hilarious." Katie replies sarcastically._

_Joseph, Marvin, and Katie approach the door to the house, but just before Katie closes the door, Marvin shouts, "WAIT!"_

_Joseph and Katie both stare at Marvin for a moment._

_"What is it, Marvin?" asks Joseph._

_"I'm sc-scared!" Marvin replies._

_"Marvin, there's nothing to be afraid of... It's JUST a house!" Katie says._

_"B-but..." Marvin mumbles._

"Marvin." Katie says, touching Marvin's shoulder. "We're going to be fine. Stop worrying!"

_Marvin's cheeks turn red from embarassment._

_The three walk into the house, Katie closing the door behind them. It is pitch-black inside of the house._

_A creaking sound echoes through the house._

_"W-what was that!?" Marvin exclaims._

_"It's probably just the wind." says Katie._

_A few minutes pass by and the three don't speak at all._

_Suddenly, a noise similar to someone's nails scratching a chalkboard penetrates through the house from what seems to be the dining room._

_"Okay, that was NOT the wind, Katie!" Marvin shouts._

_Before Katie can respond to Marvin's remark, an eerie voice that sounds as though it is coming from the same place as the scratching sound says, "Geeeeet oooout!!! NOOOOOOOW!!!" _

_The three yank open the front door and run outside, screaming their lungs out. They approach Hurley._

_Hurley says, "Pay up, babies!"_

_"Let me see your watch, Hurley." Kate says._

_"Let me see your watch, Hurley!" Hurley says, mockingly._

_"Just give her the watch, Hurley!" exclaims Joseph._

_"Just give her the wa-" Before Hurley can finish mocking Joseph, Katie punches Hurley in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him. She then detaches the watch from Hurley's arm and looks at its screen._

_The watch is beeping, and "5:00" is flashing on its screen._

**_END OF FLASHBACK_**

**End Of Chapter 5**


	6. The Killer

**Chapter 6: The Killer**

The next morning, Jack, Kate, and a man with an australian accent who Joseph has discovered is named Charlie set off to try and find a radio within the fuselage of the plane.

Right when the three are about to head into the jungle, Joseph runs up to them shouting, "Wait! Wait!"

"What is it?" asks Jack.

"Can I go with you guys?" Joseph asks.

"Well... It could be dangerous, Joseph." Jack replies.

"That's a risk I'm willing to take." says Joseph.

"Okay." Charlie says. "Let's go on, then!"

The four enter the jungle and walk silently in the direction in which they believe the fuselage had landed.

After about 5 minutes of walking, Joseph notices the sound of what seems to be approaching footsteps.

"Do you guys hear that?" Joseph asks.

"Hear what?" asks Jack.

"Nothing... Nevermind." Joseph says.

A few minutes pass.

Again, Joseph hears the sound of footsteps.

"Okay, PLEASE tell me that you guys heard that!" exclaims Joseph.

"Yeah, I think I heard something, too..." Kate says.

"We've got to keep moving if we want to find that fuselage." says Jack.

Suddenly, a voice with a thick southern accent sounds from a set of bushes to the group's right. "Hey, have any of you seen a watch around here on your little nature walk?"

The man steps out from behind the bushes to reveal himself, a rough-looking male with a brown shirt, jeans, and dirty-blond hair.

Joseph studies the man for a few seconds and suddenly realizes that it was the man who had fired the bullets at his school that one day! He was the one who had killed Marvin! It was him!

"HE'S A KILLER!" Joseph shouts at the top of his lungs. "HE'S A KILLER!"

**_FLASHBACK_**

_Joseph and Katie are at Marvin's funeral. It has been a month since "the incident". Marvin has been buried and the people who are at the funeral are standing around Marvin's grave in a large circle. The person to the right of Joseph has just spoken some words in memory of Marvin, and it is now Joseph's turn to speak._

_"Marvin was one of my best friends... He was an amazing person. He was good at sports, he always got straight A's, and he was always there for me. He was a bit timid when I first met him, but Katie and I," He nods at Katie so that everyone knows who he is talking about, "helped him to come out of his shell. Marvin," Joseph starts, tears beginning to stream down his cheeks, "I'm sorry that you died the way that you did... It wasn't the least bit fair and I hope that the man who killed you realizes that he made a HUGE mistake. You would've changed the world, Marvin... I'm positive that you would've been our next president. You had the determination, the confidence, and the talent to do so. But, you know what? You've already changed the lives of all of the people standing right here, right now for the better. And that's pretty amazing, Marvin! I'm gonna miss you a lot, buddy. Thanks for everything that you've done."_

_After Joseph is finished speaking, there is a minute of complete silence. _

_Then, Katie starts to clap softly. Joseph joins her, clapping very loudly. The man to the right of Joseph begins to clap, the man to the left of Katie begins to clap, and pretty soon everyone standing around Marvin's grave is clapping and cheering loudly, shouting things like, "Way to go, Marvin!" and "You were an awesome guy, Marvin!"_

_"I love you, Marvin." Katie mumbles to herself quietly._

_"What's that, Katie?" Joseph asks._

_"Nothing..." says Katie._

**_END OF FLASHBACK_**

**End Of Chapter 6**


	7. Guilty As Charged

**Chapter 7: Guilty As Charged **

"What are ya talkin' about?" the man with the heavy southern accent asks Joseph.

"SHUT UP, YOU MONSTER!!!" Joseph shouts.

Kate, Jack, and Charlie stare at Joseph confusedly.

"WHY AREN'T YOU IN JAIL!? WHY ARE YOU HERE??? WHY!?" Joseph shouts, this time even louder than before.

Joseph jumps toward the man, his fist at the ready, his breaths coming in rapid gasps.

Joseph punches the man in the nose, causing a stream of blood to plummet from the man's left nostril.

"WHY, YOU LITTLE!!!" the man shouts. He then punches Joseph in the stomach.

Joseph falls to the ground, gasping for air.

Joseph starts to stand up, but before he is able to give the man another punch in the face, Kate stands between Joseph and the man and shouts, "QUIT IT!"

"Deja Vu..." Joseph mumbles quietly.

"WHAT WAS THAT, PUNK!?" the man shouts at Joseph.

"NOTHING, MURDERER!!!" Joseph shouts back.

"QUIET!" Kate shouts. "Now... What the heck is going on here?"

"Well, the man who actually COMMITTED the murder can answer that question better than I can, I think!" Joseph shouts, looking at the man.

Kate looks at the man suspiciously. "What's your name?" she asks him.

"Kate, what are you do-" Joseph starts, but is interrupted by Kate.

"Shut up!" Kate shouts at Joseph.

Jack, Joseph, and Charlie are taken aback by this comment.

"The name's Sawyer," the man says. "And what are your friends' names, girly?"

Kate stares at Sawyer seriously.

"Well?" he asks.

"Before we get acquainted, I want to know why my friend was just calling you a killer." says Kate.

"And why would I tell you that, girly?" Sawyer asks Kate.

"Do you really want to find out?" Kate asks him.

"Ooooh, I'm scared now, Wonder Woman!" Sawyer says sarcastically.

Kate kicks Sawyer in the shin extremely hard, causing Sawyer to let out a yelp of pain.

"Deja Vu..." Joseph says.

"Would you quit sayin' that, already!?" Sawyer exclaims.

**_FLASHBACK_**

_"Sawyer, how do you plead?" the judge asks._

_There is a moment of silence._

_"Guilty." Sawyer says. "Guilty. Guilty. Guilty! Guilty! GUILTY!!!"_

_Sawyer's whole body begins to tremble and his eyes start to tear up._

_Everyone in the courtroom stares at Sawyer, including the judge._

_"Okay, then...," says the judge. "Sawyer... You're going to be spending the rest of your life in prison."_

_Sawyer looks at the ground, tears streaming down his face relentlessly._

_"Bailiff!" the judge shouts._

_A heavy-set man begins to escort Sawyer out of the courtroom. When Sawyer walks by Marvin's family, he shouts, "I'M SORRY!!!"  
_  
**_END FLASHBACK_**

**End Of Chapter 7**


	8. Remember Me?

**Chapter 8: Remember Me? **

"Just tell them what you did, Sawyer!" says Joseph.

"NO!" Sawyer exclaims.

Jack walks up in front of Sawyer. "What did you do, Sawyer? WHO DID YOU KILL!?" shouts Jack.

"Whoa, there, cowboy... Settle down!" says Sawyer.

"Do you think that this is some kind of a joke!?" Jack exclaims.

"Well... Yeah!" Sawyer replies.

"Sawyer, just tell us what you bloody did!!!" shouts Charlie.

"I'm not tellin' ya nothin'!" Sawyer shouts back.

"You're just a coward! A dirty, murderous coward!" Joseph exclaims.

"I ain't scared of nothin'!" says Sawyer.

"Oh, yeah?" Joseph says. "Then why don't you just tell them what you did, Sawyer? If you tell them, then I'll stop calling you a coward!"

"Fine!" Sawyer says.

Jack, Kate, and Charlie look at Sawyer pleadingly.

"I..." Sawyer starts. "I shot his friend..."

"AND?" says Joseph.

"And what!?" Sawyer replies.

"Who else did you kill that day, Sawyer?" Joseph asks.

Sawyer turns to look at Joseph, annoyed.

"I shot a few teachers at his school, also..." says Sawyer.

Jack, Kate, and Charlie look at Sawyer in horror.

"C'mon, you guys. Let's go to the fuselage." Joseph says.

Jack, Kate, and Charlie snap out of their horrified state and begin to head toward the fuselage, Jack leading the way.

"Wait!" shouts Sawyer. "I'm comin', too!"

"No, you're not!" says Joseph.

"YES, I AM!" Sawyer replies.

"Well, then I'm leaving." Joseph says.

"Good!" shouts Sawyer.

Joseph separates himself from the group, upset and frustrated with Sawyer.

Three or four minutes pass by as Joseph is walking through the jungle, trying to find his way back to the beach.

Suddenly, a figure resembling Marvin appears in front of Joseph.

"M-MARVIN!?" Joseph exclaims.

"Hi, Joseph." Marvin says calmly.

"Marvin... I thought you were dead!" says Joseph.

"Why on earth would I be dead?" Marvin asks in a mysterious tone.

"Uh... You were shot by Sawyer." Joseph replies.

"Who?" asks Marvin.

"Sawyer... the man who came to our school that one day and shot a few of our teachers... and YOU!" Joseph exclaims.

"What are you talking about?" Marvin asks.

"Marvin... What's going on?" says Joseph. "How are you here?"

"I have to go now." says Marvin.

"WAIT!" Joseph shouts.

Joseph runs toward Marvin, but before he can reach him, Marvin has disappeared...

**End Of Chapter 8**


	9. Kidnapped

**Chapter 9: Kidnapped **

"Oh, my gosh!" Joseph shouts.

"I'm going crazy... I'm nuts! I've gone mad! Oh, gosh... Oh, gosh!!! What's happening to me!?" Joseph thinks.

Joseph is able to maneuver through the jungle and find his way back to the beach, his mind racing about how he has turned into a lunatic all the while. He approaches Claire, who's sitting on the sand, rubbing her stomach and smiling.

Joseph sits down on the sand next to her.

"Hello!" Claire says cheerfully.

"Hi..." says Joseph, reluctantly.

"What's the matter?" Claire asks, detecting the unease in his voice.

"You'll think I'm crazy..." Joseph replies.

"Try me!" says Claire.

"Well... Back in the jungle, I... I..." Joseph can't find the courage to finish his sentence.

"You what?" Claire asks.

"Claire...," Joseph starts. "Have you ever had... Um... A hallucination?"

Claire looks at Joseph confusedly.

"What do you mean?" Claire asks.

"Claire... I just saw my friend, Marvin... Well, I thought I saw him, but... Gosh, Claire, you're going to think I'm nuts..." Joseph says.

"Joseph, just tell me what happened in the jungle." Claire says calmly.

"Okay... I had this friend named Marvin when I was a kid and... He was shot when we were in the eighth grade..." Joseph starts.

"Oh, my! I'm so sorry..." says Claire.

"Oh, it's fine." Joseph replies. "Anyway, he died in the hospital the day after he was shot... And... I just saw him in the jungle."

"Oh..." Claire says.

"See!? I KNEW that you'd think I'm crazy!" Joseph exclaims.

Joseph starts to walk away angrily.

"Joseph!" Claire shouts. "I don't think you're crazy!"

"Sure..." says Joseph.

"I'm not just saying that, Joseph!" Claire says seriously.

"Claire, I don't think I was just seeing things... I think it was really him! I could tell!" Joseph exclaims.

"You just need some rest, Joseph..." says Claire.

"NO, Claire! I'm going back into the jungle!" Joseph shouts.

"Why!?" exclaims Claire.

"Because... I need to know if Marvin's still alive! I NEED to know!!!" Joseph shouts, his eyes beginning to tear up.

"I'm coming with you, then!" Claire says.

"Claire, you can't... You're pregnant!" says Joseph.

"I can do whatever I want to! Okay?" Claire says.

Joseph doesn't speak for a moment.

"Let's go!" Claire commands.

"Okay." replies Joseph.

The two head into the jungle.

After a few minutes, Joseph hears some mumbling in the distance.

"Great. Now I'm HEARING things! That's just great!" Joseph thinks.

Joseph hears the mumbling again.

"Did you hear that?" asks Claire in a fearful tone.

"Yeah..." says Joseph.

"GET 'EM!!!" shouts an unfamiliar voice.

Joseph turns around to see a man with a beard on his face and a bag in his hand. Before Joseph can say anything, the man wraps a towel around his mouth, puts a bag over his head, and ties his hands behind his back.

"Mission accomplished!" the bearded man shouts in an eerie tone.

**End Of Chapter 9**


	10. The List

**(Author's Note - This symbol, "", represents a shift of the point of view of the story.)**

**Chapter 10: The List **

"LET HIM GO!!!" Claire screams.

"You can leave now, Claire. We don't need you. We only need him." says the bearded man.

"Wait a second... How do you know my name?!" Claire exclaims.

"You can leave, Claire." the bearded man says calmly.

"I'm not leaving until you tell me what the bloody heck is going on!" screams Claire.

"There's no reason to be scared, Claire. We don't need you. You can go." the bearded man says.

"But!... But!" Claire says.

"JUST GO!" the bearded man shouts angrily.

The bearded man begins to walk away from Claire, dragging Joseph on the ground. Several other people follow the man.

"WAIT! What's going on!? What are you going to do to him!?" exclaims Claire.

The people continue to walk away from Claire, ignoring her words.

"STOP!!! PLEASE, STOP!!!" screams Claire.

But the people continue to ignore her...

In another area of the jungle, Kate, Jack, Charlie, and Sawyer arrive at the fuselage.

"So, who's going in first?" asks Charlie.

The four don't say anything.

"Oh, I'll go first, ya babies!" Sawyer says.

Just before Sawyer is about to step into the fuselage, a scream sounds in the distance.

"What was that!?" Kate asks in a fearful tone.

"It sounded like Claire!" shouts Jack.

"Are ya sissies gonna come in here or what?" questions Sawyer.

Another scream sounds in the distance.

"That's definitely Claire!" says Charlie.

"You guys, c'mon... We need to find out what's going on." Jack says, motioning for the three to follow him.

"Fine. Lead the way, your majesty." says Sawyer.

Jack gives Sawyer a dirty look.

The four head in the direction of the screams that they'd heard. After about three or four minutes, they come across Claire, her eyes red from crying.

"Claire, what's wrong?" Kate asks.

"They took him!" shouts Claire, her voice shaking.

"Who took who, Claire?" asks Jack.

"THEY took Joseph!" Claire exclaims. "First, one of them wrapped a towel around his mouth, tied his hands around his back, and put a bag on his head! Then, the same guy pushed Joseph onto the ground and began to drag him away! Some others followed the guy, ignoring everything I said!"

"Wait, who are "they"?" Charlie asks.

"I don't know, Charlie! I don't know!" says Claire.

"It's okay, Claire. It's okay." Jack says soothingly, rubbing Claire's back.

"No, it's not, Jack!!!" Claire screams, tearing Jack's hand away from her back.

"Oh, my gosh... Look at this, you guys!" says Kate.

Kate picks up a slip of paper from the ground. The other four gather around her, staring at the paper in horror.

On the paper it says, "THE LIST: Joseph, Charlie, Kate, Sawyer, Jack, and Locke."

**End Of Chapter 10 **


	11. Fate

**Chapter 11: Fate**

Joseph wakes up and finds himself within a small hut. The bag has been removed from his head, his hands have been freed, and the towel has been unwrapped from his mouth. There is absolutely nothing within the hut.

"Where am I?" thinks Joseph.

Joseph opens the small flap that serves as an entrance and exit to the hut, and peers outside.

There is nothing but trees around him.

Suddenly, a loud beeping sound echoes through the jungle. The beeping seems to be some sort of alarm. Joseph quickly closes the flap and maneuvers his body back into the hut. The beeping stops.

Joseph opens the flap again, but this time he moves his entire body to the outside of the hut. The beeping sounds again. Joseph begins to run away from the hut. After a few minutes, Joseph catches sight of the beach.

"Thank God!" Joseph shouts.

But before Joseph is able to reach the beach, something hits him on the head extremely hard.

He blacks out.

* * *

Kate, Sawyer, Jack, Charlie, and Claire are all staring at the slip of paper.

"What does it mean?" asks Charlie.

"It looks like a list of some sort…" Jack says.

"No dip, Sherlock!" Sawyer mutters under his breath.

"What did you say!?" Jack exclaims angrily.

"You heard me, smart guy!" replies Sawyer.

"Quit it, you guys!" Kate shouts. "We've already got enough problems! We don't need you two adding to them by bickering with each other!"

"We'd better listen to Wonder Woman." Sawyer says.

Kate gives Sawyer an annoyed look.

"Do you think? No…" says Charlie.

"What!?" asks Claire.

"Do you think that those people who took Joseph wrote a list… A list of everyone they're planning to take later on, one by one? Joseph's the first guy on the list, and he was taken first…" Charlie says.

"But, if that were the case, that would mean that-" Jack starts, but he is interrupted by Charlie.

"I'm next…" says Charlie in a fearful tone.

* * *

Hurley is walking around the beach, bored. He notices that a bald man is sitting by the ocean and staring out to sea. The man has an absent look on his face.

Hurley walks up to where the bald man is sitting.

"What's up?" Hurley asks.

The bald man turns around to see Hurley.

"Hello." says the man.

"So, how do you think it happened?" asks Hurley.

"Pardon?" the man says.

"The crash… How do you think it happened?" Hurley asks.

"Well, personally, I think it was fate." replies the man.

"Fate, huh?" says Hurley.

"Yes." the man replies simply.

"I didn't catch your name…" says Hurley.

"Locke." the man replies.

"I'm Hurley." says Hurley.

"Nice to meet you, Hurley." Locke replies, shaking Hurley's hand.

**End Of Chapter 11**


	12. Don't Move a Muscle, Don't Say a Word

**Chapter 12: Don't Move A Muscle, Don't Say A Word**

**_FLASHBACK_**

_Marvin, Katie, Joseph, their teacher, and everyone else in the class are sitting on the floor of their classroom, horrified. The man who had taunted them before still hasn't made any sound outside of the classroom door for over three hours._

_Suddenly, the man kicks on the door a few times and is able to knock it completely off of its hinges. The man walks into the classroom slowly, a gun in his right hand._

"_So, how is everyone? Y'all havin' fun today?" asks the man._

_Everyone in the classroom remains silent._

"_Aw, that's too bad, isn't it?" the man says. _

_All of the students and the teacher stay silent._

"_YOU!" shouts the man, pointing at Katie. "Put your little self on that wall behind me, won't ya, girly?"_

_Katie walks briskly over to the wall and sits down, her back rested on it._

"_Good, girly… Good." says the man. "Now… Let's make a deal here, shall we? I'll let all of you guys leave. BUT, if you all DO decide to leave… Well, I'm gonna have to shoot this little girl." _

_Marvin and Joseph look at the man with disgust._

"_Oh, and if any of y'all say a word… I'm just gonna shoot a random one o' ya!" the man exclaims._

"_Wait a sec-" a voice starts, but is interrupted by the sound of a bullet._

"_MARVIN!!!" Katie and Joseph both scream at the top of their lungs simultaneously._

**_END OF FLASHBACK_**

Joseph wakes up in the middle of a strange room… The room is very small and has tiny dots covering its entire floor.

Joseph starts to stand up.

"WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!" sounds throughout the room loudly.

He quickly sits back down.

Joseph starts to crawl toward the middle of the room.

"WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!"

He stops crawling.

"Terrific! JUST terrific! Now, whenever I move, I touch these little dot things… And whenever I touch these little dot things, a loud, booming alarm sounds stating, "WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!" This is just dandy!!!" thinks Joseph.

Suddenly, the door to the room is opened and an odd-looking man walks in.

"Hello, Joseph." the man says eerily.

Joseph doesn't say anything.

"Would you like to watch a movie?" asks the man.

"WHAT!?" exclaims Joseph. "You kidnap me, stick me in a hut, I escape, you hit me on the head and knock me out, you bring me here and don't let me freaking MOVE, and NOW you want to show me a MOVIE!!??"

"Yes." replies the man.

"Fine… Put in a movie! I don't care! It doesn't matter anyway… You're just going to knock me out again if I say no!" Joseph shouts.

"No… But I WILL knock you out again if you move." the man says.

Joseph eyes the man suspiciously as he walks out of the room, grabs a nearby television set, and enters the room again with the television set. The man has a video tape in his hand. He inserts the video tape into the video cassette.

The words, "Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer", come up on the screen.

"It's a classic!" says the man, walking away as he's talking.

"No dip, Sherlock!" thinks Joseph, taking a line from Sawyer.

The man exits from the room and closes the door behind him.

* * *

Charlie is looking at the other four in a worried manner.

"We can't tell anyone about this." Kate says.

"What are you talking about?" asks Claire.

"If we tell anyone about what just happen, about what we found, everyone will get worried and upset. We can't do that to them. We should let them get at least one more full night's sleep without any thoughts about their safety. Okay?" questions Kate.

"Okay." Jack says.

"Sure." says Charlie.

"Okay." Claire says.

"Of course, girly!" shouts Sawyer.

The five head toward the beach.

**End Of Chapter 12**


	13. Secrets

**Chapter 13: Secrets**

As Charlie walks onto the beach, a girl in a pink shirt with blond hair approaches him.

"What'd you guys find?" asks the girl.

"Nothing…" Charlie says skittishly.

"Come on, you guys _had_ to have found _something_!" the girl says.

"Nope. We didn't find anything." Charlie replies.

"You're lying!" exclaims the girl.

"Look, we didn't find bloody anything, okay!?" says Charlie defensively.

"Whatever…" the girl replies.

The two stare at the ground awkwardly.

"I'm Charlie." Charlie says in an attempt to change the subject.

"I'm Shannon." says the girl.

"Shannon! Get over here!" a voice shouts.

"Sorry, I gotta go… That's my brother, Boone." Shannon says, rolling her eyes.

"See ya later, then." says Charlie.

"Bye." says Shannon.

Shannon runs over to Boone and the two begin to bicker.

"Phew! That was close!" thinks Charlie.

* * *

The movie has just ended and Joseph is staring at the plethora of dots on the floor. The door to the room opens, and the same odd-looking man appears.

"Did you like it?" asks the man.

"Oh, yeah! It was wonderful!" Joseph says sarcastically.

The two remain silent for about a minute.

"What do you want? Why did you take me? Where's Claire?" asks Joseph.

"Claire's fine." the man says.

"Where is she? Did you take her, too!? She's PREGNANT for crying out loud!!" Joseph exclaims.

"Calm down. We didn't take her." replies the man.

"Am I supposed to believe that!?" Joseph shouts.

"Why did you only ask about her?" the man asks.

"What?" Joseph replies.

"Claire… Why did you only ask about her and not all of your other friends?" asks the man.

"YOU TOOK THEM, TOO!?" exclaims Joseph.

The man looks at Joseph and shakes his head.

"WHAT!?" asks Joseph, furiously.

"You didn't answer my question, Joseph." the man replies calmly.

"I don't know… She was the only one with me when you put a freaking BAG over my head!!!" Joseph exclaims.

"Are you SURE that that's the reason?" the man asks mysteriously.

"What are you getting at?" says Joseph.

"ANSWER ME!" shouts the man.

"Yes, yes. I'm sure!" Joseph replies.

"Okay, then. Come in here, Juliet!" the man shouts.

A woman with blond hair and a purple shirt walks into the room.

"Yes, Ben?" asks the woman.

"I need you to add someone to the list." the man says.

"Wait, what? What list!? What are you talking ab-" Joseph starts.

"SHUT UP!" shouts Ben.

Ben weaves his fingers through the pockets of his shirt and pants, searching for something.

As he's searching, he says, "The name I need you to add is "Claire". Got it?"

"Yes." Juliet says, staring at Ben.

"Oh, no…" says Ben.

"What is it?" asks Juliet.

"The list… It's gone!" Ben exclaims.

"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?? WHAT LIST!?" shouts Joseph.

"Joseph, if you say one more word, I'll-" Ben starts, but he is interrupted by Joseph.

"Why does everything have to be a secret!? Why can't you just tell me what's going on?? WHY!?"

"Joseph, calm down. We need you to help us find Claire." says Juliet.

Joseph eyes Juliet suspiciously.

"And WHY would I do that!?" exclaims Joseph.

"Oh, you'll find that we're very persuasive, Joseph." Ben says, eerily.

Joseph stares at Ben in horror.

**End Of Chapter 13**


	14. Follow Me

**Chapter 14: Follow Me**

The evening hours set in. All of the survivors start some fires and sit around them in their "groups". Claire, Charlie, Hurley, and Jack are sitting around a fire together.

Charlie is staring at the fire, a blank expression on his face.

"What's wrong, Charlie?" Claire asks.

"Oh, nothing… I'm just a bit concerned about having a bag put over my head, my hands tied around my back, a towel gagging me, and being bloody kidnapped by those people!" exclaims Charlie.

"Charlie, you've gotta think positively…" says Jack.

"Thanks for trying, Jack, but you're not gonna be able to cheer me up." Charlie says.

"Dudes, what are you talking about?" Hurley asks suspiciously.

Jack, Charlie, and Claire had forgotten that Hurley was sitting with them and suddenly realize their mistake.

"Um…" says Claire.

"Uh…" Charlie says.

"Well, we… Uh, um…" Jack says.

"What's the big secret?" asks Hurley.

"Just tell him, Jack." says Charlie.

"Okay, fine… You may find this hard to believe Hurley, but… Joseph's been kidnapped." says Jack.

"WHAT?!" Hurley exclaims.

"Sh!" says Claire, putting her finger against her lips.

"Sorry…" says Hurley.

"I was with Joseph…" Claire says. "We were in the jungle. Everything was fine and then this man with a beard wrapped a towel around Joseph's mouth, put a bag over his head, and tied his hands behind his back. He then dragged Joseph into the woods, and several other people followed him. I screamed and I screamed, but they wouldn't listen…"

"Whoa, dude…" Hurley says.

"We're going to figure out a way to find him, though… We're gonna get him back, Hurley." Jack replies.

Kate walks up to where the four are sitting. She sits down next to Jack.

"Hey!" says Jack, smiling at Kate.

"Hey." Kate replies, smiling back.

"So anyway, we're going to need to make a plan to get Joseph back." Jack says.

Kate's eyes widen at Jack and she nods her head at Hurley.

"Oh, don't worry, Kate. He knows." says Charlie, noticing Kate's gesture.

"Oh." Kate replies, blushing slightly.

Jack begins to talk about his "plan".

Claire notices that someone is tapping her shoulder. She turns around to see, to her great surprise, Joseph!

"Jos-" Claire starts.

"Sh!" says Joseph, putting a finger to his lips.

Claire looks at Joseph confusedly.

"Follow me." Joseph whispers in a somewhat robotic manner.

"What are you-" Claire starts.

"SH!" Joseph says.

"Alright, alright!" whispers Claire.

Joseph begins to walk toward the jungle and Claire follows him.

"Where are we going?" asks Claire.

"Be quiet." Joseph says sternly.

"Sheesh, SOMEONE'S a little grumpy today!" Claire says.

Claire follows Joseph in silence for about a minute. Then, Claire catches sight of an odd-looking man and a woman in a purple shirt.

The two approach Joseph.

"Ah, good work, Joseph." says Ben, the odd-looking man.

"What's going on!?" Claire exclaims.

"Here." says Ben, handing Joseph a bag and a few towels.

"What are you doing?!" Claire asks frantically.

"Do it, Joseph." Ben commands.

**End Of Chapter 14**


	15. The Decision

**Chapter 15: The Decision**

**_FLASHBACK_**

_It is the night before Halloween, which is also known as "Mischief Night" to children. "Mischief Night" is the time when some children pull various practical jokes on other people, such as egging houses, putting toilet paper all over the trees of someone's front yard, and scattering forks all over someone's front yard. Katie, Joseph, and Marvin are in the seventh grade. Katie has called Joseph and Marvin and asked both of them to come over to her house._

_Joseph is the first to arrive at Katie's house. He rings her doorbell._

_Katie comes to the door and opens it. _

"_Hey, Joseph!" Katie says cheerfully._

"_Hi." replies Joseph. "So… Why'd you ask me to come to your house?"_

"_I'll tell you when Marvin gets here." says Katie._

_A few minutes later, Marvin knocks on the door softly._

_Katie runs over to the door and opens it._

"_Hello!" Marvin says._

"_Hi!" Katie replies._

_The three sit on a large, red couch in the middle of Katie's living room._

"_Okay… Here's the plan: We're going to go to the house of those strange people down the street and throw eggs at the side of their house! Doesn't that sound so cool!?" says Katie._

"_Uh…" Joseph says._

"_That sounds AWESOME!" exclaims Marvin._

"_And don't worry about my parents catching us. They're out at some costume party and they won't be back until like 1 in the morning." Katie says._

"_Okay!" Marvin shouts excitedly._

_Joseph follows the two out the door and onto the street reluctantly…_

**_END OF FLASHBACK_**

"Joseph, NO! STOP! You can't do this! STOP!" screams Claire.

"Just ignore her, Joseph, and do it." Ben says calmly.

Joseph remains frozen.

"Remember what happens when you DON'T listen, Joseph? Remember that?" questions Ben.

"Ben, maybe we shouldn't do th-" Juliet starts.

"BE QUIET!!!" Ben shouts.

Claire stares at Joseph in horror.

"Hurry up, Joseph! We haven't got all night!!!" exclaims Ben.

"Joseph, you don't need to do this if you don't wa-" Juliet starts.

"Would you quit your constant interruptions?" snaps Ben, looking at Juliet.

Juliet and Ben bicker for a few seconds.

During that time, Joseph mouths to Claire, "RUN AWAY!"

Claire begins to run toward the beach.

Joseph drops the towels and the bag and begins to run in the opposite direction.

"LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE!!!" Ben shouts at Juliet.

Juliet looks at Ben, an annoyed expression on her face, and stomps off after Joseph.

Ben heads toward the beach…

**_FLASHBACK_**

_Katie hands Joseph a few eggs._

"_Do it!" she whispers, glee on her face._

_Joseph lifts his arm into a position that will allow him to throw one of the eggs directly at the side of the house. He freezes in that position for about a minute._

"_What are you waiting for!?" exclaims Katie._

_Joseph remains still._

"_Throw it, already!" Marvin says._

"_I-I can't…" Joseph says._

"_Sure you can!" replies Katie._

"_NO, I CAN'T, OKAY!?" shouts Joseph. "I CAN'T!" _

_Joseph drops the two eggs onto the ground and they roll into a nearby ditch._

**_END OF FLASHBACK_**

**End Of Chapter 15**


	16. Double or Nothing

**Chapter 16: Double Or Nothing**

Jack is in the middle of telling Kate, Charlie, and Hurley his plan when Charlie notices that Claire is gone.

"You guys… Claire's gone!" says Charlie.

"What?" Hurley asks.

"Can't you bloody hear? I said CLAIRE'S GONE!" Charlie shouts.

Jack runs toward the jungle and shouts, "CLAIRE! CLAIRE!"

There is no response.

"What do you think happened?" asks Kate.

"Maybe there was a substitution." Charlie says.

"What?" asks Jack confusedly.

"Remember the list? I was supposed to be next… Maybe they took Claire instead!" says Charlie.

"That's crazy, Charlie." Jack says, shaking his head and laughing.

"Is it, Jack?" Charlie asks.

Jack looks at Charlie suspiciously.

Suddenly, Claire comes running out of the jungle.

"Claire!" shouts Kate.

There are tears streaming down Claire's cheeks and her whole body is trembling.

"What happened, Claire?" asks Kate.

"They… They had Joseph…" Claire says.

"WHO had Joseph?" Charlie asks.

"B-Ben and Juliet!" exclaims Claire.

"Claire… You need some rest." Jack says.

"Oh, save it, Jack! I know what I saw and I can take care of myself!" Claire shouts.

"Claire, what the bloody heck happened in there!?" exclaims Charlie.

"Charlie, let her calm d-" starts Kate.

"Joseph… He… He almost did to ME what the bearded man had done to HIM!!!" Claire screams.

"Why would he do th-" Jack starts to ask, but stops when he sees an odd-looking man walk out of the jungle.

"Get over here, Claire!" shouts Ben sternly.

Claire doesn't move a muscle or say a word.

"What do you want with her?" asks Charlie.

Ben turns to Charlie and laughs. "Charlie! We've been waiting for you."

Charlie looks at Ben with a frightened expression on his face.

"Come here, you two." Ben says gesturing toward Charlie and Claire.

"Do you really expect us to come with you, just like that!?" Charlie exclaims.

"No… But the longer you wait, the worse your punishment will become…" says Ben eerily.

Jack walks up to Ben.

"Hello, Jack." Ben says calmly.

"You stay the heck away from them. DO YOU HEAR ME!?" Jack shouts.

"Jack, Jack… YOU'RE punishment is already terrible… Are you SURE that you want to make it worse?" asks Ben.

Jack eyes Ben suspiciously.

"So, you have two choices, Jack… You can let me take Charlie and Claire now and allow me to carry out their punishments, OR you can wait. If you wait, I can guarantee that the punishments of EVERYONE on the list will become MUCH worse." Ben says.

Jack continues to stare at Ben, confused.

"Jack, do you want me to take them or not?" asks Ben.

"NO!" shouts Jack.

"Suit yourself." Ben says, shrugging his shoulders.

Ben walks back into the jungle.

**End Of Chapter 16**


	17. The Punishment

**Chapter 17: The Punishment**

"Joseph! JOSEPH!" Juliet exclaims, running through the jungle.

There is no response.

Juliet continues to run through the jungle shouting Joseph's name.

Suddenly, she runs into someone and falls over, hitting her head on a sharp rock on the ground.

"Holy cow!" shouts Sawyer, the man that Juliet had run into.

Juliet has been knocked unconscious and blood is streaming down from the back of her head…

* * *

Joseph is at the camp of Ben, Juliet, the bearded man, and all of the other people who had been involved in Joseph's capture. Joseph runs into the room with the small dots all over the floor and sits down…

* * *

Kate looks at Jack sympathetically. 

"It's okay, Jack." says Kate.

"No, it's not, Kate! I just made it worse for all of us!" shouts Jack.

There is a moment of silence.

"We're doomed…" Charlie says.

"Thanks, Charlie. That comment's REALLY going to brighten the mood!" Kate snaps at Charlie.

"Look, Kate. I know that you like Jack and all, but that doesn't make me feel any better about getting kidnapped by those people!!!" exclaims Charlie.

Kate gives Charlie an annoyed look.

"What did they do to Joseph? Why would he even contemplate kidnapping me FOR them? It doesn't make any sense!" Claire says.

"It's all because of the numbers…" Hurley chimes in.

"What?" asks Jack.

"Oh, nothing…" says Hurley.

"Hurley, just tell us what the heck you're talking about!" Jack shouts.

"Calm down, Jack!" Kate exclaims.

"The numbers are 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, and 42… They're CURSED numbers. That's why I said that I caused the plane crash. Those numbers, they come with me everywhere I go and make bad things happen. They were with me on the plane. THEY'RE the reason why the plane crashed!" explains Hurley.

Jack, Kate, Claire, and Charlie look at Hurley confusedly.

"I don't know what the heck you're talking about, Hurley, but we've GOT to get Joseph back… We've just GOT to!" Jack says.

Jack starts toward the jungle.

"Wait, Jack!" shouts Kate.

Jack looks back at Kate.

"I'm coming with you." Kate says.

"Fine." replies Jack.

Kate runs over to Jack.

While she is approaching him, Charlie says, "I'm coming, too!"

Charlie quickly walks over to Jack and Kate and the three head into the jungle.

* * *

Joseph is still sitting on the floor of the room with the tiny dots. 

The door to the room is opened and Ben walks in.

"You failed to cooperate, Joseph." says Ben.

Joseph does not respond, but maintains a blank expression.

"I know that you lied to me, Joseph." Ben says.

Joseph looks up at Ben questioningly.

"About Claire… I know that you lied about the reason that you asked about her before anyone else." says Ben. Ben mutters the words, "Bring it in." into a small microphone attached to his shirt.

The bearded man who had kidnapped Joseph walks into the room with a small tray containing a syringe needle. Ben picks up the needle and examines it closely.

Fear erupts on Joseph's face.

"Thank you." Ben says.

The bearded man exits the room, taking the tray with him and closing the door behind him.

"It's time for your punishment now, Joseph. You were warned, yet you disobeyed me anyway." says Ben, walking closer to Joseph. Ben is holding the syringe needle in his right hand.

Joseph backs away frantically. The alarm goes off, "WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!"

Ben ignores the alarm and lifts up the syringe needle, preparing to inject it into Joseph.

Suddenly, someone knocks on the door to the room very loudly.

"OPEN UP!" a voice shouts.

Ben runs over to the door and opens it up. He reveals Sawyer holding Juliet in his arms and her injured state.

Ben's eyes widen in shock.

**End Of Chapter 17**


	18. It's Okay

**Chapter 18: It's Okay**

Claire is staring into the jungle, her eyes red from crying.

"You okay, dude?" asks Hurley.

Claire turns around to look at Hurley.

She pauses for a moment before saying, "Yes. I'm fine."

"Follow me." Hurley says.

"Hurley… When Joseph told me that, I almost got kidnapped!" Claire exclaims, tears forming in her eyes.

"Don't worry, Claire. You don't have to be scared." says Hurley, trying to comfort Claire.

Claire stays motionless for a few seconds. "Okay." she replies.

Hurley heads toward the fire that he, Claire, Charlie, Jack, and Kate had been sitting around earlier before all of the insanity had begun, Claire following closely behind him. He walks over to his backpack which he had placed next to the log that he had been sitting on near the fire. He unzips it and searches through it with his hands for about a minute. Then, he takes out a bag of marshmallows and shows it to Claire, a smile on his face.

Claire smiles back at Hurley, but doesn't say a word.

"I'll go get a few sticks outta the jungle." Hurley says, taking the bag of marshmallows with him.

"Okay." Claire says, sitting down on the log that is next to Hurley's backpack.

In a few minutes, Hurley comes back with four long sticks. He sits next to Claire, picks up two of the four sticks, and slides a marshmallow onto each of them. Hurley passes Claire one of the sticks.

"Thank you!" says Claire, smiling politely at Hurley.

"Any time!" replies Hurley.

The two extend their sticks above the powerful fire and roast their marshmallows.

After a few minutes, an African American man and a young African American boy approach Claire and Hurley.

"May we join you?" asks the man.

"Sure!" Hurley replies, picking up the other two sticks and sliding a marshmallow onto each of them.

The two African Americans sit on the log opposite the one that Claire and Hurley are sitting on.

Hurley hands each of them a stick. "Bon appetit!" he says.

The young African American boy laughs at Hurley's comment.

"I'm Michael." says the African American man. "And this is Walt." he says, pointing at the young man sitting beside him.

"Nice to meet you!" Claire says.

"What's up?" Hurley says.

"Well, there's not much to keep you occupied on an island like this…" says Michael.

Michael, Walt, Claire, and Hurley continue to talk with each other in peace…

**_FLASHBACK_**

_Joseph is lying on his bed, crying. Joseph and everyone else who had been within the school during the incident have just been permitted to leave the school a few hours ago. A knock sounds on the door to Joseph's room._

"_GO AWAY!" Joseph screams._

_After a few minutes, Joseph's mother opens the door to his room and walks in. She walks over to his bed and sits next to Joseph._

"_DIDN'T YOU HEAR ME!? I SAID GO AWAY!!!" screeches Joseph._

_Joseph's mother moves her hand around in a circle on Joseph's back softly and slowly._

"_It's okay, honey. It's okay." Joseph's mother says._

"_NO, IT'S NOT, MOM! MARVIN'S DEAD! THAT GUY KILLED MARVIN! I'M NEVER GONNA SEE HIM AGAIN, MOM!" Joseph shouts, his voice trembling._

_Tears begin to roll down Joseph's mother's cheeks._

"_I know, Marvin, I know…" says Joseph's mother._

_The two sit there in solemn silence for a moment._

"_But the thing is, Joseph… You'll always remember Marvin. You have all of those pictures of you, him, and Katie together at your birthday parties, you have copies of all of Marvin's stories, and he's never really going to leave… He'll always be right there in your heart." Joseph's mother says, pointing to Joseph's chest._

"_Thanks, mom." says Joseph, giving his mother a hug._

**_END OF FLASHBACK_**

**End Of Chapter 18**


	19. Substitution

**Chapter 19: Substitution**

Ben is staring at Juliet in disbelief.

"What the heck happened!?" Ben screeches. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?!?"

"Whoa there, buddy. Is she your girlfriend or somethin'?" asks Sawyer, smirking.

Ben turns to Sawyer, his expression fierce.

"DROP JULIET AND SIT DOWN!!!" yells Ben.

"Look. I'm just here to drop off your little "girlfriend". Anything that you say or do isn't gonna keep me from leavin'! So, see ya!" says Sawyer.

Ben runs over to the door and closes it before Sawyer can leave.

"What do you think your do-" Sawyer starts.

"SHUT UP AND SIT DOWN!!!" Ben exclaims.

"Quiet down, chief." Sawyer says.

"If you say ONE MORE WORD… If you move a MUSCLE… I'll… I'll-" starts Ben.

"You'll WHAT!?" shouts Sawyer.

Ben lifts the syringe needle within his right hand and nods his head at it.

"I'm not scared of y-" Sawyer starts.

Ben lifts up the syringe needle and thrusts it into Sawyer's left arm before Sawyer can finish his sentence…

* * *

Jack and Kate are walking through the jungle next to each other, Charlie straggling behind them. 

Jack has a crazed expression on his face.

"Jack…" Kate says.

"What?" asks Jack, turning to Kate.

"I need you to promise me something." says Kate.

"Okay…" Jack says confusedly.

"If we don't find Joseph tonight, I don't want you to obsess over finding him when it might be… Well, impossible. We'll all pitch in and do our part to find him, but… We might not be able to get him back, Jack. Okay?" Kate says.

"I'm going to find him, Kate. And it's not about obsession… It's about determination." says Jack.

* * *

Sawyer falls onto the floor, dropping Juliet in front of him. Sawyer twitches several times before he stops moving completely. 

"Serves him right!" thinks Joseph.

"You!" Ben shouts, pointing at Joseph.

Joseph turns his head away from Sawyer to look at Ben.

"Get out of here!!!" shouts Ben.

"Wh-What!?" Joseph exclaims in disbelief.

"You heard me! Get out of here! NOW!!!" Ben commands.

Joseph walks swiftly over to the door to the room and opens it. He walks out of the room, closes the door behind him, and begins to run through the jungle in the direction of the beach.

Jack, Kate, and Charlie have been walking within the jungle for about three minutes.

The sounds of twigs breaking and leaves crunching echo throughout the jungle.

"What the heck is that!?" Charlie exclaims.

Suddenly, Joseph appears in front of Jack, Kate, and Charlie.

"Joseph!" Jack exclaims, a smile forming on his face.

"Where's Claire?" asks Joseph frantically.

"She's back at the beach." says Charlie.

Joseph begins to sprint toward the beach. Once he reaches the beach, he catches sight of Claire sitting around a fire with Hurley and two African-Americans.

"Claire!" Joseph exclaims as he runs toward Claire.

Claire stands up and her eyes widen in surprise.

Joseph reaches Claire and hugs her. Although she is taken aback, Claire hugs him back.

**End Of Chapter 19**


	20. What They Did

**Chapter 20: What They Did**

**_FLASHBACK_**

_Joseph is staring at Ben in horror within the room with the tiny dots all over its floor._

"_Come with me." says Ben._

"_I'm not going anyw-" Joseph starts._

"_COME WITH ME!" Ben shouts._

_Joseph stands up and begins to follow Ben, Juliet walking behind Joseph. Ben leads Joseph and Juliet to an area with six cages._

_Ben walks over to one of the cages and opens it._

_He moves his hand toward the inside of the cage, suggesting that Joseph go inside of it._

"_I'm not going in there!" shouts Joseph._

"_Yes, you are." Ben replies calmly. "And when you help us find Claire, she'll be staying in that cage." Ben points to a cage directly across from the one in which he wants Joseph to go into._

"_Joseph, if you cooperate, we'll let you go." says Juliet._

"_And WHY should I believe YOU!?" Joseph exclaims._

"_Because…" says Ben. "If you don't, you'll force us to take drastic measures."_

_Joseph eyes Ben suspiciously._

"_I don't care! I'm still not going into that cage!" shouts Joseph._

_Ben takes a blue object out of his right pants pocket and shoots it at Joseph. _

_The object hits Joseph in the chest, he lets out a yelp of pain, and he collapses onto the ground…_

**_END OF FLASHBACK_**

While Claire and Joseph are hugging, Kate, Charlie, and Jack come running out of the jungle.

When the three reach Joseph and Claire, they stop hugging. Claire stares at Joseph in confusion.

Michael, Walt, Hurley, Kate, Charlie, and Jack all join in staring at Joseph.

"Joseph… What did they do to you?" asks Claire.

Joseph turns his head to the ground, a troubled expression forming on his face.

**_FLASHBACK_**

_Juliet and Ben carry Joseph into a room with an operating table and some medical equipment within it. Juliet places Joseph onto the table gingerly._

_Ben walks over to a cabinet and takes out a syringe needle._

"_This will only knock out his memory for a few hours, so we need to work quickly." says Ben._

_Ben quickly approaches the table, injects the syringe needle into Joseph's right arm, and takes it out of Joseph's arm after a few seconds._

_A few minutes later, Joseph wakes up._

"_Huh? Wh-Where am I?" asks Joseph._

"_There's no time for explanations right now, Joseph. Just follow us." Ben commands._

"_Okay." says Joseph, removing himself from the operating table and following Juliet and Ben out of the room._

_The three are walking through the jungle._

_Ben searches through his pants pockets until he finds a photo of Claire. He takes the photo out of his left pocket and shows it to Joseph._

"_We need you to go to the beach, find this woman, and bring her back to us." Ben says._

"_What beach?" Joseph asks._

"_Just go in this direction and you'll find it." says Ben, pointing his finger in front of him._

_Joseph begins to walk in the direction that Ben had pointed at. When he reaches the beach, he notices a pregnant woman with blond hair sitting on a log around a fire that looks exactly like the woman in the photo that Ben had shown him._

_Joseph walks up behind the woman and taps her on the shoulder…_

**_END OF FLASHBACK_**

**End Of Chapter 20**


	21. Welcome Back

**Chapter 21: Welcome Back**

Ben looks at Juliet and Sawyer, both of them unconscious on the floor.

Ben picks up Sawyer by his collar and begins to drag him out of the room. He carries Sawyer to the same area containing the six cages in which he had taken Joseph. Ben opens the door to the same cage that he had attempted to house Joseph within and throws Sawyer into the cage.

Ben runs back to the room with the tiny dots covering its floor, picks up Juliet, and carries her into another room.

In this room, the bearded man who had kidnapped Joseph is sitting at a desk writing on a piece of paper, books scattered all around him. The bearded man turns to look at Ben, and his face turns pale when he sees Juliet.

"We have a problem…" says Ben.

* * *

Joseph begins to walk off toward the ocean. 

As he is walking away, Claire shouts, "Joseph, wait!"

Claire is about to follow behind Joseph when Kate reaches out to her and grabs her arm.

"Hey!" Claire exclaims.

"Claire… Just give him some alone time, okay?" Kate says.

Claire looks at Kate reluctantly.

After a few seconds, Claire replies, "Okay…"

**_FLASHBACK_**

_The anesthesia begins to wear off and Joseph opens his eyes._

_A doctor notices that Joseph has awakened and says, "Jack. He's up."_

_A man with black hair whom Joseph assumes to be Jack approaches Joseph._

"_You okay, buddy?" the man asks._

"_Y-Yeah…" replies Joseph._

"_You sure are a trooper!" says the man, smiling at Joseph. _

"_Thanks." Joseph says, managing to smile slightly. _

**_END OF FLASHBACK_**

About fifteen minutes have passed and Joseph is still sitting by the ocean, staring off into the sea.

Claire approaches Joseph and sits down next to him.

The two stay silent for a few minutes.

"Welcome back!" says Claire.

"Thanks…" Joseph replies.

"Hey, Joseph… Why'd you hug me back there?" Claire asks.

Joseph is silent for a moment.

"I… I dunno…" says Joseph.

The silence between the two returns and lasts for about five minutes.

"Well, I'm gonna go back to the fire to roast some marshmallows… You wanna come?" Claire says.

"No, thanks…" Joseph says.

"Okay." Claire replies.

Claire stands up, walks over to Joseph, and kisses him on the cheek.

She then turns around and heads toward the fire where Hurley, Michael, Walt, Kate, Charlie, and Jack are sitting.

**End Of Chapter 21**


	22. Interrogation

**Chapter 22: Interrogation**

After a few minutes, Joseph gets up and heads toward the fire in which Claire and the rest of the group are sitting around. Hurley is sitting next to Charlie on one log, Kate is sitting next to Jack on the log to the right of the two, Michael and Walt are sitting next to each other on the log directly in front of Hurley and Charlie, and Claire is sitting on the log to the left of Charlie and Hurley by herself.

As Joseph approaches the seven, Claire smiles at him.

Joseph smiles back, blushing slightly. He then sits down next to Claire.

"Hey, Joseph!" says Jack.

"Hey…" Joseph replies.

"Joseph… What happened? What did they do to you?" asks Charlie.

Kate gives Charlie a frustrated look.

"They made me watch Rudolph…" says Joseph, chuckling a bit.

"What?" Walt says.

"You know, 'Rudolph, The Red-nosed Reindeer'." Joseph replies.

"Oh…" says Walt, a troubled expression forming on his face.

Jack detects Walt's unease and asks, "Haven't you ever heard of Rudolph?"

Walt shakes his head.

"So, anyway… Joseph, what else happened?" Michael says, trying to change the subject.

"Well...," says Joseph, "After they made me watch Rudolph, they asked me some questions… Then, they said that they wanted me to go into a cage, but I refused. And then…" Joseph trails off.

"What happened, Joseph?" asks Claire.

"This guy… He shot me with this blue thing, but I… I can't remember anything else!" says Joseph, a frown forming on his face.

"But you're back now, Joseph… And you're okay!" Claire says, attempting to brighten the mood.

"Who's up for some more marshmallows!" shouts Hurley.

Hurley passes the bag of marshmallows to Kate and the group continues to pass the bag to one another around the fire.

Before the bag reaches Claire and Joseph, Joseph whispers to Claire, "Thanks!"

"No problem!" Claire whispers back, smiling.

* * *

A few hours pass and Sawyer awakens within his cage. He starts to sit up but a burst of pain shoots through his body when he attempts to do so. He collapses back down onto the ground. 

"DANG IT!!!" Sawyer shouts.

A couple minutes later, Ben approaches Sawyer's cage.

"Well, lookie here!" says Sawyer, turning his head to see Ben.

Sawyer's body is still lying motionless on the ground.

"So… Why'd you do it?" Ben asks.

"What?" Sawyer replies.

"Don't play stupid, Sawyer!" says Ben sternly.

"What the heck are you talkin' about!?" exclaims Sawyer.

"Why did you attempt to murder Juliet?" Ben asks.

"Chief, I wasn't tryin' to kill your girlfriend. I was SAVIN' her LIFE!" shouts Sawyer.

"Oh, really? Then how did you know to come here, Sawyer? How the HECK did you know that this place even EXISTS?!" shouts Ben.

"I dunno, chief. Instinct, I guess." Sawyer replies.

"Don't make this difficult, Sawyer." says Ben.

"Like I said before, I ain't scared of ya!" replies Sawyer.

"Okay, then!" Ben says.

Ben pulls a gun out of his pocket and holds it in between two of the railings of Sawyer's cage. He aims the gun at Sawyer's chest.

"Are you SURE that you want to die?" asks Ben calmly.

"You're bluffing!" Sawyer exclaims.

"ANSWER ME!" Ben shouts.

**End Of Chapter 22**


	23. See title at top of chapter

**Chapter 23: Don't Do The Crime If You Can't Do The Time **

Sawyer looks at Ben in horror.

"WHY DID YOU KILL MY SON?!?" Ben screeches.

Sawyer's expression turns from a horrified one to a confused one.

"What?" asks Sawyer.

"WHY DID YOU KILL HIM? MARVIN... MY SON! WHY THE HECK DID YOU KILL HIM, SAWYER!?" shouts Ben, his voice trembling and tears forming in his eyes.

Sawyer's eyes widen in shock.

**_FLASHBACK_**

_The heavy-set bailiff exits from the courtroom and heads toward a cell, his hand tightly grasped around Sawyer's arm. Sawyer's entire body is trembling and he struggles to hold back his tears._

_The baliff opens the door to a cell, pushes Sawyer into the cell, closes the door, and locks it._

_Sawyer sits on the floor of the cell and puts his head in his hands..._

**_END OF FLASHBACK_**

Everyone who is sitting around the fire has finished roasting and eating their marshmallows and all of them are talking amongst themselves.

"Ghost stories, anyone?" Hurley asks.

"Actually, Hurley, I think I'm going to go to sleep now... For the baby's sake, ya know?" Claire replies.

"Okay, that's cool." says Hurley.

Claire smiles at Joseph and says, "Night!"

"Night." Joseph replies, smiling back at Claire.

Claire walks away from Joseph and the rest of the group.

"So, here's how it goes. It was a dark and stormy night..." says Hurley.

After about 15 minutes, Hurley has finished telling his ghost story.

"My turn!" Walt says.

"I think I'm gonna go for a walk." says Joseph.

"Okay." Walt replies.

Joseph stands up and separates himself from the group. He begins to walk across the beach alongside the ocean, his bare feet just barely brushing against the water.

After a few minutes, Joseph turns around to see a figure that appears to be Marvin staring at him.

"MARVIN!" Joseph exclaims.

"Sh!" says the figure, putting a finger to his lips.

"Marvin, where did you... How did you-" Joseph starts.

Joseph is interrupted by the figure, who says, "Joseph... I need you to save me from Ben."

Joseph stares at the figure confusedly.

* * *

"You're... You're Marvin's... FATHER!?" shouts Sawyer in disbelief. 

"ANSWER THE QUESTION, SAWYER!!!" Ben exclaims crazily.

"I'm sorry..." Sawyer says.

"NO, YOU'RE N-" Ben starts.

"YES, I AM!!!" exclaims Sawyer, tears beginning to flow down his cheeks.

Ben stares at Sawyer, still aiming the gun at his chest.

After about a minute, Ben lowers the gun and puts it back into his pocket.

"You're going to be staying here for a LONG time, Sawyer..." says Ben.

**End Of Chapter 23 **


	24. Crazy

**Chapter 24: Crazy**

Suddenly, the figure that resembles Marvin winces.

The figure then says, "I have to go now, Joseph… Remember what I told you!"

"Marvin! Wait!" Joseph shouts, but the figure has disappeared.

"What's happening to me?" thinks Joseph.

* * *

Ben walks away from Sawyer's cage and heads toward the room in which the bearded man had been earlier. He approaches the door of the room and opens it, walking into the room. The bearded man is sitting in a chair, writing on a piece of paper on top of the table in front of him as he had been before. 

"How is she?" asks Ben.

The bearded man looks up at Ben.

"Bad…" the bearded man replies.

"I think it's time." says Ben.

"Time to what?" asks the bearded man.

"I think it's time… To get the doctor." Ben replies.

The bearded man nods his head at Ben and the two head for the door to the room…

* * *

Joseph has returned to the location of all of the "group fires". All of the survivors are asleep except for Jack, who's sitting next to the fire in which his group had been sitting. Jack is wafting some sand through his fingers and staring at the fire. 

"Hey, Jack." says Joseph, approaching the fire and sitting on the log to the right of the one in which Jack is sitting.

"Hey." Jack replies, looking up from the fire.

"Um, Jack… I… I think I'm going crazy…" Joseph says.

Jack chuckles and says, "Joseph, when you're crazy, you don't think you're crazy."

"But, Jack… I've been having these weird hallucinations lately… Or at least I think they're hallucinations…" replies Joseph.

"Well, have you been taking any kind of medication lately? It could be causing a side effect." Jack says.

"No, I'm not taking any medication… Jack, I saw my best friend from when I was a kid. His name is Marvin… But, he was shot and killed in the eighth grade…" Joseph says.

"Joseph, you obviously need some rest." replies Jack.

"Jack, you don't get it… It was him! I saw Marvin!!! I know it was him! I just know it!" exclaims Joseph.

"Joseph. Just go to bed. It's gonna be fine." says Jack.

"You can't tell me what to do!" Joseph shouts.

"Joseph, look at me." Jack says.

Joseph turns to look at Jack.

"I'm not telling you that you _have_ to get some rest, I'm telling you that you _should _get some rest. If you don't get some sleep, then these hallucinations… I can guarantee that they're not going to stop. But if you _do_ get some rest, the hallucinations might stop…" says Jack.

"Okay." says Joseph. "Thanks, Jack."

"You're welcome." Jack replies.

Joseph gets up and looks for the blanket that he has been using to sleep on while on the island.

**End Of Chapter 24**


	25. Adoption

**Chapter 25: Adoption**

**_FLASHBACK_**

_Marvin and his twin brother, Cory are only 6 months old. Their father, Frederick, has driven the two infants and himself to the closest orphanage. _

"_I can't take care of these guys… Not by myself. I need someone else to, for their sake." thinks Frederick as he walks to the front door of the orphanage, Marvin in one hand and Cory in the other. _

_Frederick opens the door to the orphanage and walks inside. _

_There is a tall, blond-haired woman inside who is standing up, shouting, "Don't eat that glue, Jordan!"_

_There are several young children running around and playing with various toys in front of the woman. _

_Frederick walks up to the woman and says, "Excuse me."_

_The woman turns around to see Frederick, Marvin, and Cory. _

"_Hello!" the woman says cheerfully._

"_Um… I need to put these two little guys up for adoption." Frederick says, looking at Cory and Marvin._

"_Okay! Please follow me, sir!" replies the woman._

_The woman begins to walk toward a room and Frederick follows her…_

**_END OF FLASHBACK_**

The next morning, Joseph wakes up to the sound of the waves in the ocean and the birds calling out from within the jungle. He sits up and gazes out at the ocean, watching the rising and falling of the waves.

He turns to his right to see Claire, Kate, and Hurley, who are all awake.

Joseph smiles at Claire and she smiles back at him.

"Good morning!" Joseph says to the three.

"Morning." says Kate.

"Sup?" Hurley says.

"Hello." Claire replies.

Joseph then turns to his left to see Charlie, Walt, and Michael, all of them fast asleep.

He then turns back to Hurley, Kate, and Claire and asks, "Where's Jack?"

The three look at each other inquisitively but no one can seem to develop an answer.

"I don't know." Kate replies.

"What if _they_ took him!?" exclaims Hurley.

"Let's not start jumping to conclusions." says Kate.

"Was he on the list, Kate?" Joseph asks.

"What list?" Kate asks.

"You know. The list we found in the jungle the other day. Was Jack's name on it?" asks Joseph.

"Yes." replies Kate.

The four look at each other worriedly.

**_FLASHBACK_**

_A 3-year-old Marvin is sitting on a toy chest in the middle of the play room at the orphanage. Cory had been adopted two years ago, just six months after Frederick had deposited him and Marvin into the orphanage._

_Marvin is staring at the ceiling, counting the number of stars made out of construction paper that had been taped onto it._

"_7, 8, 9, 10, 11…" thinks Marvin._

_A few minutes later, a young Ben walks into the orphanage. He walks toward the play room and looks at all of the gleeful children running around and playing games. _

_There is one child that catches his eye. The child is pointing a finger at the ceiling and mouthing numbers. Ben looks up at the ceiling to see a myriad of stars. _

"_Oh. He's counting the stars… What a clever little boy!" thinks Ben._

_Ben walks over to a tall woman with blond hair and says, "I think I've found the perfect child."_

_He motions for the woman to follow him and she does so. _

_When Marvin is within sight, Ben points to Marvin and says, "That's him!"_

**_END OF FLASHBACK_**

**End Of Chapter 25**


	26. Would You Do Me A Favor?

**Chapter 26: Would You Do Me A Favor?**

Jack wakes up in the middle of a cage. He stands up slowly and surveys his surroundings. He notices that there are faded scratch marks on the right side of the cage. Jack then turns to his left and sees Sawyer lying on the floor of another cage.

"Sawyer?" Jack says.

Sawyer turns his head to look at Jack.

"Looks like you finally came to, Doc!" replies Sawyer.

Jack looks down at the floor of the cage that he is being housed within.

After a moment, he says, "Where are we?"

"They kidnapped ya. They knocked ya out and dragged ya here. They put ya in that cage, locked the door, and left ya lying there, unconscious." Sawyer explains.

"But… why?" asks Jack.

"Heck if I know! I was kinda wondering the same thing when one of 'em stabbed me in the arm with a freakin' needle!" says Sawyer.

Jack stares blankly at one of the bars of his cage, thinking.

Suddenly, Ben comes running toward Jack's cage.

"I guess nap time's over, Doc!" Sawyer says.

* * *

Walt wakes up. He quickly stands up and runs into the jungle. He approaches a large tree that has a leash wrapped around it. The leash extends to the neck of a large, yellow Labrador Retriever. Walt unties the leash from the tree and the dog jumps onto Walt's chest, licking his face.

"Stop it, Vincent!" shouts Walt, stifling some giggles.

After about a minute, Vincent drops his front legs back onto the ground and removes his tongue from Walt's face.

Walt takes a tennis ball out of his pants pocket and says, "Let's go, boy!"

Walt begins to sprint toward the beach, Vincent running after him.

Once Walt is about ten yards away from the ocean, he stops running.

Vincent catches up to Walt and sits down next to him. Walt hurls the tennis ball as far as he can, and Vincent begins to race toward it.

Vincent retrieves the ball, runs back to Walt, and drops the ball onto the sand in front of Walt.

Walt and Vincent repeat these actions several times before Michael approaches them.

"Hey." says Michael.

"Hey." Walt replies simply.

Walt throws the ball again and Vincent retrieves it and brings it back to him.

"Um… maybe we could do something together?" Michael says.

"Like what?" Walt asks, turning to Michael.

"Maybe we could… make a tree house?" says Michael.

"Okay." says Walt.

Michael nods his head and says, "Okay!"

Vincent stares at Michael, wagging his tail back and forth.

* * *

Ben approaches Jack's cage, opens its door, and walks inside.

Jack eyes Ben suspiciously.

"You're going to have to come with me." says Ben.

"Why?" asks Jack.

"I believe that Sawyer has already told you what the consequence of disobedience is here, Jack." Ben replies.

Jack looks at Ben for a moment.

"Fine." Jack says.

Ben starts to walk away from Jack's cage and Jack follows him. Ben approaches the room with the operating table that Joseph had been laying on just hours ago. He opens the door to the room and walks in, Jack following suit. Juliet is lying on the table, blood still seeping through the plethora of bandages that are covering her head.

"I need you to stitch her up." says Ben calmly.

"And why would I help one of _you_?" asks Jack.

Ben smiles and says, "I thought that you might say that."

Ben grips a small microphone attached to his shirt with his right hand and says, "Load it!"

Jack looks at Ben confusedly. "W-What are you talking about?" he asks.

"Either you're going to save Juliet's life… or we're going to take away Sawyer's." Ben says.

Jack looks at Ben in horror.

**End Of Chapter 26**


	27. Sounds Dangerous

**Chapter 27: Sounds Dangerous**

Kate is walking alongside the ocean, her long black hair flailing in the wind. She has her hands in her pants pockets and is barefoot. She is staring into the distance, a troubled expression on her face.

_I hope Jack's okay..._ thinks Kate.

A few seconds later, the sound of a gunshot reaches her ears.

"JACK!!!" screams Kate.

**_FLASHBACK_**

_Juliet is folding clothes in the laundry room of her house, her hands shaking as she is doing so._

What am I going to tell him?_ she thinks._

_Just as this thought is running through her mind, she hears the doorknob of the front door jiggling slightly._

Oh, no…_ thinks Juliet._

_After a few seconds, the doorknob stops jiggling and the door opens._

"_I'm home!" Marvin's twin brother, Cory, shouts._

"_Hi, honey!" Juliet replies, dropping the purple shirt that she had been folding onto the floor._

_Juliet opens the door to the laundry room, walks out of the room, and approaches her son, Cory. Cory has black hair that is spiked up slightly in the front and rosy cheeks. He is wearing a red-and-blue checkered shirt and some jeans. He is eleven years old and is in the sixth grade._

_Juliet gives Cory a hug and says, "So, what'd you do at school today?"_

"_I got an 'A' on my math test!" exclaims Cory._

"_That's great, honey!" Juliet says distractedly._

_Cory notices the reluctance in Juliet's voice._

"_Is something wrong, mom?" Cory asks._

"_So, I guess all that studying paid off, huh?" says Juliet, trying to change the subject._

"_Mom." Cory says firmly. "What's the matter?"_

_Juliet looks at the ground and then back at Cory, her body becoming unsteady and tears forming in her eyes._

"_Cory… I… I have breast cancer." Juliet says, trying to hold back her tears._

_Cory looks at his mother, a troubled expression on his face._

**_END OF FLASHBACK_**

Walt and Michael have begun to build a tree house. Michael had told Walt to pick a tree within the jungle that he wished for Michael and himself to build the tree house on. Michael is searching for branches, twigs, and sticks to use in order to make the tree house.

Suddenly, the sound of a gunshot echoes through the jungle.

"WALT!" Michael yells at the top of his lungs, dropping all of the wood that he had found and running in the direction in which he had seen Walt travel when he had first left to pick a tree.

"WALT!" Michael screams again.

"Dad!" exclaims Walt.

Walt sees his father and begins to run toward him.

"Walt!" exclaims Michael, this time out of joy rather than fear.

Michael approaches Walt and picks him up, hugging him firmly.

"I'm so glad you're okay!" Michael whispers into Walt's ear as he is hugging him.

"Thanks." Walt whispers back.

After about thirty seconds, Michael puts Walt back down.

"So… which tree do you want to use?" asks Michael.

* * *

Joseph is sitting on the beach when he hears the sound of a gunshot.

A few seconds later, he hears a voice shouting, "JACK!!!"

Joseph realizes that it is Kate's voice when she comes running toward Joseph, shouting, "JACK!" over and over again.

Kate quickly reaches Joseph and shouts, "They shot Jack!"

"How can you be so sure that it's Jack who's been shot?" asks Joseph.

"It _had_ to be Jack! I just know it!" Kate exclaims. "We've got to find him! We've got to SAVE him!!!"

Several other people begin to notice Kate's frantic shouting.

"Kate, quiet down!" Joseph says.

"Don't tell me what to do!" shouts Kate.

"Kate, you're going to worry everyone el-" Joseph starts.

"I DON'T CARE!" Kate screams. "I'm going into the jungle! I'm going to find Jack! Whether you want to go or not, _I'm_ going!!!"

**End Of Chapter 27**


	28. All Your Fault

**Chapter 28:** **All Your Fault**

The bearded man is standing beside Sawyer's cage, a gun in his right hand. He has just fired a bullet at the back of Sawyer's cage, purposely missing Sawyer.

"Looks like ya need some practice, Tex!" says Sawyer.

The bearded man ignores Sawyer's remark and says, "You're going to pretend that I really shot you with that bullet. You're going to pretend that you're dead."

"Uh… why the heck would I do that?" Sawyer asks.

"Because… If you don't, both you and your little friend, Jack, will be shot… And I won't miss you that time!" the bearded man explains, his face lighting up with joy.

"Are ya planning on ever lettin' me and Jack go?" asks Sawyer.

"Well, I don't know about Jack, but if you tell Ben why you did it, why you shot his son… he'll probably let you go." says the bearded man.

"And what if I don't tell him?" Sawyer asks.

The bearded man shrugs his shoulders and says, "We'll just have to wait and see!"

Sawyer looks at the bearded man suspiciously.

* * *

Jack looks at Juliet and then at the walkie-talkie. He continues to do this for a few minutes, sweat forming on his forehead. Suddenly, he hears the sound of a bullet being fired emitting from the walkie-talkie.

"HEY!!!" shouts Jack. "I NEVER SAID I WASN'T GOING TO STITCH HER UP! WHY THE HECK DID YOU JUST MAKE HIM SHOOT SAWYER!?"

Ben doesn't say a word.

"I'M TALKING TO YOU, BEN! WHY DID YOU DO IT!? WHY?!?" Jack exclaims.

"Because!" shouts Ben. "He never answered my question!"

"And what question would THAT be, Ben!?" Jack asks crazily.

"He never told me… WHY HE KILLED MY SON!!!" Ben screams, tears forming in his eyes.

Jack's expression turns from sheer anger to utter confusion.

**_FLASHBACK_**

_Ben is sitting on a chair in the kitchen of his home, his head in his hands. He is crying and his eyes are surrounded by a bright red color. _

How could this have happened to Marvin?_ he thinks. _Who would do such a thing?

_A few more minutes pass and Ben still has his head in his hands. He slowly lifts his head up from his arms._

I'm going to find out who did this… And I'm going to ask them why they did it… I'm going to make them PAY!_ thinks Ben._

**_END OF FLASHBACK_**

About five minutes have passed, and tears are glistening on Ben's cheeks. Jack is still extremely confused about everything that is happening.

Suddenly, the door to the operating room bursts open and the bearded man walks in. He is carrying an "unconscious" Sawyer in his arms.

"WHY did you do it!?" Jack shouts. "WHY DID YOU SHOOT HIM?!"

"It's your own fault, Jack." the bearded man replies.

Jack shakes his head and a grin forms on his face.

"You are NOT going to blame ME for this!" exclaims Jack.

"You took too long, Jack. You couldn't do it. You're just not good enough." says the bearded man.

A troubled expression forms on Jack's face and he shakes his head several times.

"This isn't my fault!" Jack exclaims.

**End Of Chapter 28**


End file.
